Fuse for projectiles.



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PUsBVFoR PR0JEGT1L5-S. APPLICATION FILED JULY 21,1904.

H0 MODEL.

M? I Suva/miba,

., UNITED STATES Patenten September 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. MERRIAM, E NEW Yoan', N. Y., -AssIeNoE oF ONE-HALE To UNITED STATES oem-'ANCE COMPANY, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or dCAOLUMBIA, A 4CORPORATION 'OF FUSE FOR PROJECTILES.

. sPEcIFxcA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. '770.084, dated september 1,3, 1904.

Original application filed March 30, 1901. Renewed January 4, 1902, Serial No. 88,444. Divided and this application filed July 21, 1904. Serial No.217,517.f (No model.)

To all whom it 11mg/ convenu Be it known that I, HENRY P. )'IERRIAM, a oltlzen-.oi the United States, residing at New York, in the'county and State of New York, have Invented certain new and usefullmprovcments in Fuses for Projectiles` of which the lfollowing isa specification.

` .The present application is a division of my application, Serial No. 88,414, renewed J anu- IO ary 4, 1902.

' The present invention relates to improve- .-ments' 1n percussion-fuses for projectiles, havying for its object to simplify and improve the lstructure and operation of such fuses, to in- I 5 .sure greater safety in the handling and transportation of projectiles, and at the same time i maintain the 'certainty of exploding the shell when it strikes the target.

' To this end my invent-ion comprises a suitzo able fuse-casing carrying a primer, amovably-mounted tiring-pin supported in operative relation to the primer, a movably-mounted hammer independent of and in operative. rei lation to therng-pin, and centrifugallyreleased'securing means normally Vholding the firing-pin and hammer in inactive position. VA-Theihammeris preferably of spherical form, loosely mounted in the fuse-casing so as to be capablcof moving forward to actuate the lir- -ingpin upon direct impact of the projectile against anrobJect or upon a lateral 4or grazing i impact of the projectile against the water or other obj-ect. v '1n lorder lthat the reference to the accompanyii-ig drawings and afterwardpoint out the novelty with more particularity in the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 isa longitudinal 40 sectionalelevation of afuseemliodying my invention. F ig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same, takenor the line 220i' Fig. 1. v v v,

1 is the body of the fuse, externally thread- 'ed at 2 and having a head 3 formed with tire ,central threaded reduced portion 1. which 1s threaded into the socket or cavity ofthe body g 1. The socket or cavity 5 of the bQdy 1 is l` formed with a seat or recess 6,v in which normally rests the ball-hammer 7. The hammer l T is surrounded by a spring-band 8, formed 'with integ; al spring-fingers 9, which are bent inwardly into engagement with the hammer for maintaining it upon its seat under certain conditions.

10 10 are ports or passages leading through thel inner end of the fuse-body l for the pas sage ofthe flash from the magazines of the i fuse (hereinafter referred to) to the bursting' charge of the shell. Vithin the head 3 of the fuse are mounted the primers and their firing-pins, the magazines l of'powder which are ignited by the explosion of thev primers and iiash through the cavity of the fuse-body, and the securing device for holding` the tiring-pins and the hammer in inoperative position. In this particular form of the fuse shown'in the drawings is arranged a series of three poder-magazines15 at equal distances apart within the fuse-head and three primers' l16 of ordinary` construction intermediately of the magazines and communicating with thev Amagazines through a vtrain of powder in the annular channel 17, formed betweenthe fuse-body 1 and head 3 and com- 7 5 munie-ating' with the powder-magazines 15 thronghthe ports or openings 18 and7 with the primers through the ports 19. This arrangement-.is such that if any one of the ,i 16 are held within their socket-sat theends'of 90 i the recesses 20 by incansoftlieanvil-ScrewsQl; i 30'is a Socket or recess iormcdcentraily invention.may-,be fully primers is set ofi' it will Hash intoand ignite 89 35 understood, 1 will first describe the same with within the fuse-head 3, and 31 is a longitudinally-movable hammer-retaining pin resting loosely within the socket 30 andformed at its inner end with a steel hammerengaging portion 32. This pin 31 is held normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position it engages the hammer 7 and holds it iirmly in its seat 6 in the fuse-body and also the flaring heads 25 of the tiring-pins to hold them in inoperative position in their recesses.

The fuse-head 3 has bored into it a series of three radial channels 4Q, which are arranged at an angle ot' one hundred and twenty degrees apart and are located directly7 over the three powder-magazines 15, above described. The channels 40 meet in the center of thev JEusehead 3 and are in open communication with the central recess or socket 30,-in which is mounted the hammer securing pin 3 1. Mounted within the three radially-extending channels @t0 are the three bolts or pistons 45, each one ot' which is formed at its inner end with an angular projection or nose 46. The projections or noses 46 of the bolts or pistons 45 are identical and form complements of each other, so that when the bolts or pistons are in their inner or hammer-retaining position thenoses or projections will mutually inter lock-that is, the nose of each bolt interlocks with the nose of one of the others-so that no one 'of the bolts or pistons can be moved-outwardly individually; but all can readily be moved outwardly if they areimoved simultaneously. The locking'noses or projections upon the inner ends of the bolts or pistons 45 extend at an angle of thirty degrees from the bolts or pistons, and their inner ends are beveled at the same angle, so that the three projectio'ns or noses of the bolts will tit snugly together and completely close the recess or socket 30, within which the securing-pin 31 rests, said securing-pin engaging the noses or projections of allof the bolts or pistons and being held thereby into engagement with the hammer and the firing-pins.

In the outer end of each ofthel radial lhannels 40 is mounted a small spiral spring 50, which engages the end of. the bolt or piston 45 and is held in engagement bymeans of a thin metal band 51, which surrounds the fusehead 3.

The operation of the improved fuse may be briefly described, as follows: lVhen the shell equipped with the improved fuse is shot from the gun, it has vimparted to it a' rotating as Well as aforward impulse. The rapid revolution of the shell as ittravels through the gun and afterward through the air tends to .throw outwardly the series of laterally-extending locking bolts or pistons; but until the centrifugal force exerted upon these parts is sucient to overcome the friction of the bolts or pistons in their sockets (and this friction is of considerable magnitude while the shell 'is gaining in'velocity in the gun) and l the pressure of their springs and the airl cushions formed in the outer ends of their channels said bolts or pistons will not be moved outwardly.. Atthe moment, however, that thecentrifugal force is sufficiently strong to overcome these retarding influences upon the bolts or pistons said bolts or pistons `will be thrown outwardly simultaneously in their channels, and this will leave the hammer-retaining pin free to move forward in the fusehead, which it will do immediately by reasonot' the fact that the flight of the shell is more or less retarded by the friction of the air, while the inertia of the hammer-securing pin and hammer will tend to move them forwardly in the fuse-body. This tendency to move forwardly in the Vfuse-body on the part of, the hammer is resisted by the spring 8 9, which engages the hammer; but as there is nothing to prevent the forward movement ot' the hammer-retaining pin it moves forward in its socket out of the path of lthe hammer and the firing-pins. The firing-pins alsov move Aforwardly in'their sockets into engagement with the primers. Nhen the shell strikes the target, the hammer will be suddenly throwny into engagement with the heads of the firing-pins, and one or more of the primers will be tired, and the flash will pass through the powdertrain and magazines into the bursting charge ot' the shell. y

lVhile l have shown and described the centriugally-released securing means in the form of avplurality of interlocking bolts or pistons which are incapable of individual movement,

would Vhave itunderst'ood thatI do not claim this form of securing means in the present my abovenamed parent application, Serial No. 88,444. l

In the present application I intend to cover the broad idea of a fuse for projectiles comprising a fuse-body, a 'primer supported in the fuse-body, a firing-pin movably mounted in the fuse-body in operative relation to the primer, a hammer also movably mounted in the fuse-body independent of and in operative relation to the firing-pin, and centrifugallyreleased securing means normally holding the ring-pin in its inactive position. -I also intend to cover in the present case the stated combination of elements in which the harnmer is of spherical form and also such combination in which the centrifugally-releasedise pin and the hammer in inactive position. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure lay-Letters Patent, is- A i A V 1. In combination witha projectile, a fuse therefor adapted to be inserted centrallyof the base of the projectile, comprising a tubular casing, a loosely-mounted plunger in the casing, means 'mounted in the casing adapted IOQ but capable of simultaneous movement, I

case, since such structure is fully claimed in l curing means normall \T hold both the tiringto explode a flminating-cap, and a safety device for normally holding said means to prevent the cap from'being exploded, and which when the gun is discharged is unlocked being released entirely by centrifugal forceas the projectleis in flight, the plunger moving for-A ward and striking the tiring means when the Aprojectile strikes.

Q. The combination with a projectile;` of a iuse, comprisingl a casing, a firing-pin, means mounted 1n the casing engaged by the firing- .pin -to hold the firing-pin from' engagement With the fulminating-cap and when the projectile is'in flight to be moved by centrifugal force to release'the firing-pin, and meansmounted in the casing adapted to strike the tiringpin after the projectilehasbeen impeded in its flight.

3. In a fuse, the combination of afuse-body, a primer, means mounted in the fuse-body to explode the primer, a plunger movabl y mounted 1n the fuse-body independent of the primerexplodingV means, and securing means normally holding sald primer-exploding means to 'prevent the primer from being exploded,

. said securing means being adapted to be re-` mounted in the fuse-body in operative relation leased by centrifugal force after the gun has been discharged.

' 4. The combination of a fuse-body, a primer supported therein, a firingpin movably to the primer, a hammer also movably mounted in the fuse-body independent of and in operative relation`to the firing-pin, and centrifugally-released securmg means normally holding the firing-pin in its inactive position.

5. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a'tubular fuse body or casing adapted to be securedl centrally in a projectile, a hammer losely mounted in the casing, a primer secured in the casing, a firing-pin movably mounted in the casing independentlyof the hammer and in operative relation to the primer, and centrifugally-released securing means normally holdand mechanism mounted in the plug for nor. .mall y holding the firing-pin from engagement with the cap. and a loosely-mounted spherical plunger in the casing adapted, after the means for engaging the 'firing-pin has been released andr the projectile has been impeded in its Hight, to explode the projectile.

8. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a tubular fuse body or casing adapted to be secured centrally in a projectile, a hammer loosely mounted in the casinga primer secured in the casing, a firing-pin movably mounted in the casing in operati ve relation to the primer,a securing-pin normally engaging the -hammer and firing-pin for holding them in inactive position, and centrifugally-released means normally locking the securing-pin against movelment, substantially as set forth,

9. In a fuse for projectiles, the combination of a fusebody, a hammer movably mounted in the fuse-body, a firing-pin also movably mounted in the fuse-body independently of the hammer, and a securing device adapted to independently engage the hammer and firingpin and hold them in inoperative position, substantially as set forth.

HENRY P. MERRIAM. Witnesses:

.\ WM. P. HAMMoND,

" WM. E. KNIGHT. 

